What is the Gaza Strip & who controls it ?
What is the Gaza Strip & who controls it ?
The Gaza Strip has been the epicenter of heavy bombardment for more than a week after Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes for the unprecedented terror attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct. 7.
The enclave — a narrow strip of land between Israel and Egypt, next to the Mediterranean Sea — is home to roughly 2.3 million Palestinians and is described as one of the most densely populated places on Earth. The 140-square-mile region is roughly the size of Philadelphia.
The majority of those who live in Gaza are young, with almost 65% of the population under the age of 24.
‘World’s largest open-air prison’
Since 2007, Israel has imposed an air, land and sea blockade on the Gaza Strip, saying the move is necessary to safeguard the country from Hamas’ attacks. Gaza is surrounded by concrete walls and barbed wire fences.
Palestinians are prohibited from entering or leaving the territory except in extremely rare cases such as “urgent, life-threatening medical conditions,” according to Israeli human rights group B’Tselem. Foreign citizens are not subjected to the same restrictions. Human rights groups have described it as “the world’s largest open-air prison.”
